Some spooky stops around the world

Halloween is synonymous with costumes, an abundance of bite-sized candy and adorable photos of children dressed as cartoon characters, super heroes and creatures. However, the spirit of Halloween can also influence your travels.

Rather than focusing on haunted destinations, the members and editors of VirtualTourist.com have compiled a list of those places that have been abruptly abandoned, their emptiness and the signs of people up and disappearing making them spooky and eerie.

Hashima Island, Japan

Hashima Island, located 12.4 miles off the port of Nagasaki, once had the highest population density in history, with more than 5,000 full-time residents, despite the island being only 1,575 feet long and 492 feet wide. The island served as a coal mine and was built with housing to accommodate workers and their families, making it resemble a battleship and earning the location the nickname “Gunkanjima,” or “battleship island” in Japanese. When the mine was closed in April 1974, residents had to vacate and the island remained closed to the public for many years, slowly deteriorating from typhoons and lack of upkeep. In April 2009, a newly constructed boat dock made it possible for tour boats to land at Gunkanjima, and the 45-minute tours of the island are becoming more and more popular. In addition to visiting the ruins, the 50-minute boat ride between Nagasaki and Gunkanjima provides great views of the city of Nagasaki and its port from the water.

Prypiat, Ukraine

While the name Prypiat isn’t particularly well-known to many travelers, the catalyst for it being abandoned is a name few citizens will soon forget: Chernobyl. Prypiat falls within the “zone of alienation” in northern Ukraine, the area within 18 miles of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The city was originally founded to house workers of the power plant and was only three miles from the plant. On April 26, 1986, the entire city was evacuated due to an explosion and subsequent radiation leak at Chernobyl. Today, it requires a day pass issued by the Ukrainian government to visit Pripyat, Chernobyl and the surrounding villages. Tours of the region are growing in popularity, particularly among European travelers.

Kayaköy, Anatolia, Turkey

Nestled into the hills of the Taurus Mountains, the village of Kayaköy is approximately five miles south of the larger and coastal city of Fethiye. At one time, the village was inhabited by 2,000-plus Greek Orthodox citizens, who referred to the town as Levissi or Karmylissos, despite its location in Turkey. In 1923, following World War I and the Greco-Turkish War, Greece and Turkey agreed to a compulsory population exchange based on religious ideology, forcing Greek Orthodox citizens of Turkey and the Muslim citizens of Greece to move. The citizens of Kayaköy were forced to move and were repatriated to Greece. When they left, the village subsequently was abandoned. Today, the village serves as a museum and historical monument, illustrating fallout from the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

Jerome, Ariz.

The American West is scattered with abandoned mining towns, but Jerome, Ariz., is both a quick stop from some of Arizona’s most popular tourist destinations and historically haunted. Once a booming copper camp, it was the fourth-largest city in Arizona in the late 1920s. When the mines closed in the mid-1950s, the population plummeted to only 42 residents, and it became well-known for its paranormal activity such as items inexplicably moving on their own. Now, the destination is widely regarded for its great photographic setting and quaint artist studios and galleries.

Royal Gardens Subdivision in Kilauea, Hawaii

Along the Big Island’s southeastern shore and in the shadow of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the site of the former Royal Gardens Subdivision can barely be made out. In the early 1980s, the land was seen as highly valuable with its beautiful view of the volcano and the ocean. Few seemed to worry that it was a short 3.72 miles from the Kilauea Volcano’s vent. By March 1983, the first house in the subdivision was destroyed by a lava flow, but a few inhabitants remained until the final house was destroyed almost 30 years later in 2012. The Lava Viewing Area at Kalapana is free to the public and accessible from Route 130.